Why YSU will survive adversity

As a 35-year-old grad- uate school student at Youngstown State, the violence of Feb. 6 gave me pause. I thought, “Did I make the right decision with all of the education options available?” However, an incident in the fall made me remember one of the reasons why I came to Youngstown State.

I was looking for the graduate school office, apparently in the wrong building. As I was turning around to leave and look for the correct building, YSU president Dr. Cynthia Anderson walked out of her office and asked if she could help me. I explained what office I was looking for, and she informed me that the office had moved. Then, she said, “I’m headed out that way, let me show you where the building is.” The university president, helping a student find a building, is not something that happens on every campus.

YSU is truly a family. I have an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree from Youngstown State. I am proud of these degrees and hate to hear anyone talk poorly of Youngstown State. The recent violence is painful, because when you hurt a few people in the YSU family, you hurt us all. I know that YSU will come together to work through this tragedy. So much has been done to beautify the campus. New buildings are built on a regular basis, with a gorgeous recreation center and college of business among them. This incident should not dissuade students from coming to YSU.

We have survived tough times before, and we will unite to survive this. Youngstown State is the backbone of a sleeping giant of a city, which is slowly rising to its feet to stand proudly and regain its once great reputation.